Slovenia Recognizes Syrian National Coalition

Slovenia on Thursday recognized Syria's opposition National Coalition forces as the only legitimate representative of the Syrian people.

"Syrian president Bashar Assad has lost all legitimacy to continue governing Syria and the National Coalition has proved to be a relevant and credible partner in discussions with the international community," the government said in a statement.

France in November became the first Western state to officially recognize the newly-formed National Coalition and it was later joined by the European Union and the United States.

But some EU member states still have reservations about the coalition and have refrained from recognizing it as the Syrian people's sole legitimate representative.

The coalition says it is committed to building a provisional government composed of representatives of all ethnic and religious groups in conflict-ridden Syria.

But it refuses to engage with the Damascus regime before Assad's departure.

More than 60,000 people have been killed in the Syrian conflict since it began with a brutal crackdown on peaceful demonstrations in March 2011, the United Nations said on Wednesday.